Best of the Rest w/e 1 Mar 2013

Another selection of some of the best, most interesting or most thought-provoking resources we've spotted around the web during the week.

Ever wondered whether large churches grow through transfers or through new believers? Read this, and scroll down for the pie chart.

At the other end of the scale, ever wondered why people leave Christianity, and what to do about it? Michael Patton has.

The marriage debate is still rumbling around, and we’ve read several interesting and helpful pieces about it, including this and this from Doug Wilson, and this from Tim Dalrymple on whether defending marriage and defending slavery are equivalent.

“It is not often that people with deeply held and completely opposing viewpoints actually risk sitting down and listening to one another.” But that’s exactly what Dan Cathy, COO of American fast-food chain Chick-fil-A and Shane L Windermeyer, LGBT Campaigner and executive director of Campus Pride did, and found a way to see each other as “people with opposing views, not as opposing people”. Read about it in this excellent article. “How much better would our world be if more could do the same?” Quite.

Reviewing AC Grayling’s latest book about humanism, Peter Hitchens compares it to “trying to quench your thirst with dry biscuits”.

Whatever Rob Bell’s next book is about, on the other hand, Trevin Wax doesn’t think it will bear much resemblance to dry biscuits. He’s come up with three reasons why - agree or not - he’ll be reading it.

For those of you looking for something meatier for your weekend reading. Why not start with these:

How do we think biblically about what’s happening with C.J. Mahaney and Sovereign Grace? Tim Challies answers wisely.

Kevin Vanhoozer on inerrancy. Clear and insightful thoughts from one of our generation’s premier theologians of Scripture.

We couldn’t include all the articles that caught our eyes this week. Andrew in particular has tweeted links to several that didn’t make it in here. To be sure not to miss any others, you can follow him on twitter. (And Matthew, Liam, Jennie and St Stuffed Shirt are all on twitter, too - follow the whole set!)